


I'm Safe; You're Safe

by jordieey



Series: Trust Takes Time [1]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, captain america: civil war - Fandom
Genre: BAMF Tony Stark, Can be seen as platonic I guess, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, How Do I Tag, Hurt/Comfort, IronWidow - Freeform, Natasha Romanov Feels, Natasha Romanov Has Issues, Natasha Romanov Is Not A Robot, Other, Panic Attacks, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Protective Natasha Romanov, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, slightly out of character i think
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-28
Updated: 2018-03-28
Packaged: 2019-04-14 06:09:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14129754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jordieey/pseuds/jordieey
Summary: Natasha appears after the events of Captain America: Civil War. Tony has no idea why she's here.





	I'm Safe; You're Safe

**Author's Note:**

> There may be some OOC. 
> 
> Can be seen as platonic, if you want.

When Tony arrived back at the compound after an exhausting day filled with conferences and paperwork, he was only mildly surprised when Friday alerted him of the “intruder.” In truth, he had been expecting this to happen--had had nightmares about it. With all the shit that had gone down with the Accords, it was only a matter of time before someone came for his head. 

“Who is it, Friday?” Tony sighed tiredly, removing his jacket before checking his wrist cuffs. They were intact, ready call his armor at moment’s notice. And to form a glove should he need it.

“Agent Romanov, boss,” Friday replied.

That gave Tony a bit of a pause. If he were being honest with himself, Natasha was the last person he wanted to see right now. Not only because she had ultimately betrayed him, but because a part of him didn’t think he could handle it if she tried to kill him. The thought of Natasha--beautiful, strong Natasha who he had slowly learned to trust--trying to end him was more painful than Steve’s lies. At the very least, it was an incredibly close second. 

Maybe that was because… 

And so, it was with a heavy heart--heh, heart, not reactor--that Tony formed the glove around his hand, and cautiously made his way to the communal floor. He called his armor, not putting it on but having it ready should he need it. 

Tony expected many things--to be met with the firing of a gun, to be attacked from behind, for Natasha to attack him with her famous scissor lock. 

What he didn’t expect to find was a blonde woman sitting on his couch, hunched over and shuddering as she gripped something tightly in her hands. 

For a moment, Tony froze, uncertain about what he was supposed to do. Never, in all the time he had known her, had Tony seen Natasha Romanov this vulnerable. Not even in the rare moments she let her fear shine through all the walls she had built up around herself.

This could be a trick, Tony reminded himself as he edged closer, glove at the ready. Natasha knew about his hero complex, his desire to save as many people as possible. She could be trying to manipulate him at this very moment. 

When he found himself standing in front of the newly blonde assassin, a wave of shock went through Tony. Natasha was hunched over, her shoulders shaking with...with sobs? No, they sounded more like soft whimpers.

His armor was standing a few meters away, should he need it. 

Still wary, Tony crouched down, peering at the object Natasha was clutching with such desperation. Shock flowed through him once more.

It was his arc reactor. His first one. The one Pepper had put in a display case with the caption “Proof that Tony Stark has a heart.”

Tony couldn’t even remember where he’d put that. It had been precious to him, once. Still was, really. He’d made a point of taking it with him wherever he decided to live. When Pepper had called off the engagement, however, looking at the thing had been nothing short of agony. And so, he’d shoved it into some corner of his lab in the compound, intending never to look at it again.

But why would Natasha be holding it? Especially with this much desperation? 

Natasha barely seemed to register Tony’s presence, which immediately set off alarm bells in Tony’s head. Keeping his right hand at the ready, he slowly reached out to touch her knee.

Natasha’s head shot up fast enough to give anyone whiplash. Tony stared at her, a bit stunned by the blue eyes that stared back at him. Even more surprising was the evidence of tears in said eyes. 

She hadn’t attacked him yet. That was good, right?

Tony might have actually preferred the attack--at least that way Natasha wouldn’t look so...broken. 

For a moment, they were both frozen. Natasha’s eyes searched Tony’s face with the same desperation that had had her shaking a mere moment aago. Tony stared back, uncertain but nonetheless captivated by her beauty. He missed the fiery red hair and green eyes, admittedly, but there was little to nothing that could make her look anything less than gorgeous. Tony had always thought so. Even when he was with Pepper.

The moment was broken when Natasha moved. Tony tensed, preparing himself for the attack--

Her hand gently cupped his cheek, calloused and cool. Keeping her eyes locked with Tony’s, Natasha slowly slipped her hand to his neck. Tony was confused for all of three seconds before he realized, with surprise, that Natasha was feeling his pulse.

He didn’t know what to make of that. 

Natasha let out a shaky breath, her eyes--which had focused intently on Tony’s pulse point--sliding back to his.  
“You’re not dead,” she said finally. 

Tony blinked. Then blinked again. “Uh, surprise?” he ventured.

Natasha’s lips twitched into that half smile Tony lo--liked so much. Silence once again. Natasha was staring at Tony’s glove. Her eyes flickered toward the Iron Man armor.

“Smart man,” Natasha commented. Her hand--the one not feeling his pulse--tightened on Tony’s old arc reactor. Her blue eyes were suddenly way and alert; she was tense, prepared to fight or run. 

And yet that broken look didn’t leave her. Natasha’s hand had moved at some point, gripping his shoulder tightly. Almost as if to prevent him from leaving.

“They don’t call me a genius for nothing,” Tony joked weakly. Natasha locked eyes with him.

“I know.” Something about the way she said it--like she was listing a fact, no hint of derision or scorn in her voice--did...something to him. He could have sworn is breath caught. 

Tony didn’t know what to do. 

They stayed there, sitting in silence, until Tony became painfully aware of the lack of circulation in his legs. He reached up, taking the hand resting on his neck in his own. Natasha tensed. 

“We’re fine, Friday,” Tony said as he stood. “Give us some privacy, will you?”

“Sure thing, boss,” the AI agreed, sounding wary. 

Tony gently tugged on Natasha’s hand. She stood up, still wary of an attack. To be honest, he was, too.

“You here to kill me?” Tony asked bluntly. Was he imagining it or did Natasha flinch slightly? Her jaw locked.

“No.” 

“Good,” Tony said. He removed his glove, setting it on the coffee table. “Come with me?”

Natasha stared at him. She nodded. 

Tony lead her to his bedroom, never once letting go of her hand. Once inside, Tony pulled her gently into his closet.  
“You can wear anything you want,” Tony told her, wondering what the hell he was doing. He should have reported her by now.

Then again, Tony preferred to play by his own rules. 

“Sorry, I don’t think I have anything to your tastes,” he added.

“It doesn’t matter,” Natasha clipped. She set down the arc reactor--with surprising reluctance--before grabbing a shirt and sweatpants. As she started to pull her white shirt over her head, Tony hastily looked away. He grabbed his own set of night clothes before heading back into the bedroom. 

Natasha’s eyes burned into his back. 

As Tony was brushing his teeth, Natasha appeared once more, leaning against the doorjamb, arc reactor in her hands. Her eyes glowed green. Tony briefly wondered where she had put the contacts she must have surely been using, before deciding it didn’t matter. He gestured to the extra toothbrush he had laid out for her. Natasha’s arm gently brushed his back as she entered the bathroom. He shivered.

They went to bed after that. Tony’s first instinct was to hold Natasha in his arms, as he had done with Pepper so many times. Natasha, however, seemed to have other ideas. She twisted in his embrace, gently urging Tony to turn away from her. He did so, and soon Natasha’s arm was under his head, the other tight across his stomach. Tony got the impression that Natasha was trying to shield him; protect him with her body.

It was nice, being the protected instead of the protector for once. 

Silence again. Natasha’s breath gently stirred his hair. His old arc reactor and wrist cuff laid next to each other on the nightstand.

“I knew the moment that I allowed Rogers and Barnes to escape that I’d made a mistake,” Natasha said after nearly five minutes. “But I had hoped--foolishly--that I wouldn’t come to regret my decision.” A beat. “I knew something would go wrong--in was inevitable. So I followed you to Syberia.” Tony was hardly breathing now, hanging on to every word. 

“I found you,” Natasha said flatly. “After Barnes and Rogers left. You were so cold--I was sure you would freeze to death, if you didn’t die of hypothermia.” The arm across his middle tightened protectively. “But you didn’t. I contacted Fury--he made sure you made it to the best hospital possible. I stayed long enough to make you were retrieved, and then--”

“You left,” Tony finished for her.

“Yes.”

That made sense, Tony thought, but it still didn’t explain why Natasha was here. Right in this moment. Luckily, Natasha seemed keen on clarifying, for once in her life.

“There was an attack today. The man used some kind of ice...weapon.” Tony wondered if he imagined the hitch in Natasha’s breathing. “One moment I was fine, and the next I was cold. And all I could think about was--”

Natasha cut herself off, and Tony /knew/ he wasn’t imagining the break in her voice. He covered her hand, feeling stunned. Natasha had had a panic attack because of /him/? Because she was afraid of his death? He hadn’t known she’d cared so much.

He was kind of touched.

“I’m safe,” Tony assured her quietly, gently squeezing her hand. “You’re safe.”

Natasha curled herself even more tightly around Tony, guarding him. Shielding him. 

She didn’t let him go for the entire night.

**Author's Note:**

> Reviews, please? 
> 
> I'm open to taking requests, if anyone has any. I will say that I'm in the middle of writing a novel, though, so publishing might be slow. 
> 
> Note: I'm not too keen on Natasha's new look in Infinity War, so her look is based on the movie Lucy. I'll add a link so you can see. 
> 
> http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/film-review-lucy-1201267405/


End file.
